As the title states, my 1st pool has been filled and I ordered the tf 100 test kit. What should I buy, what brands of chemicals, new pool suggestions are appreciated. My Walmart special Intex 22 by 52 high came with a crappy removable ladder, a 2500 gph pump and I was hoping to balance water, clean filter weekly, have a floater with 3" chlorine tabs, and check levels as needed for maintenance. Could it be that easy!? Thanks, Dan
New pool just filled, tf-100 test kit on its way, what do I need to get...
- Thread starter Ferris52
- Start date
Welcome! 
Sorry, no, it's not that easy. Those pucks also contain cyanuric acid, aka stabilizer The chlorine gets used up, the CYA stays behind. The huge majority of green cloudy pool threads here start with high CYA. It's like the STD of the pool world. It's easy to get and hard to get rid of. A typical scenario is explained here
Your pool is roughly 11,400 gallons. That's no kiddie pool. You need that big boy test kit to track things. Once things get balanced and you've learned your pool's personality, it does get pretty easy. How hard is it to go out and slop some fraction of a jug of chlorine in every day? You'll probably find out you enjoy fussing with the chemistry. It's very satisfying to look at that crystal clear sparkling water and know you did it and you're in control. Unless you live next to a pasture or something, your filter probably won't need much cleaning as long as you keep the chemistry balanced
A bit more reading
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool School - PoolMath
For your immediate concerns
Add 2 ppm FC every day until the test kit arrives and you can test and dose yourself. In real terms, 34 fluid ounces, just over a quart.
One 4 lb canister of CYA granules will raise CYA to 42. Convenient math, huh? Pay attention to how to add in Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
What you need to do about pH depends on what it is. That requires some kind of testing. Got a neighbor with a pool?
Sorry, no, it's not that easy. Those pucks also contain cyanuric acid, aka stabilizer The chlorine gets used up, the CYA stays behind. The huge majority of green cloudy pool threads here start with high CYA. It's like the STD of the pool world. It's easy to get and hard to get rid of. A typical scenario is explained here
Your pool is roughly 11,400 gallons. That's no kiddie pool. You need that big boy test kit to track things. Once things get balanced and you've learned your pool's personality, it does get pretty easy. How hard is it to go out and slop some fraction of a jug of chlorine in every day? You'll probably find out you enjoy fussing with the chemistry. It's very satisfying to look at that crystal clear sparkling water and know you did it and you're in control. Unless you live next to a pasture or something, your filter probably won't need much cleaning as long as you keep the chemistry balanced
A bit more reading
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool School - PoolMath
For your immediate concerns
Add 2 ppm FC every day until the test kit arrives and you can test and dose yourself. In real terms, 34 fluid ounces, just over a quart.
One 4 lb canister of CYA granules will raise CYA to 42. Convenient math, huh? Pay attention to how to add in Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
What you need to do about pH depends on what it is. That requires some kind of testing. Got a neighbor with a pool?
Thanks for the info and I finished the Pool School. So I will use bleach or liquid chlorine for FC... floating tabs idea is out. Then I will purchase stabilizer granules to protect the fc from the sun. I will use the pool math based on test results to get req'd amts of fc and cya. I will add fc each day. Add chemicals at night so swimming is good for the next day or...? how long do we wait before swimming after putting chemicals in?
You can add chemicals any time the pump will be on for half an hour after at least, so it mixes well. Waiting half an hour after adding anything before jumping in is a safe rule of thumb. You can reduce the waiting time by brushing to set up some cross currents and get things dispersed.